Review of The Outsiders (1983) by Bill M — 11 Aug 2017

Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 adaptation of S.E Hinton's book is a few things, it's a stylish and potent youth, gang culture film, it's kinda the ground level, genesis of The Brat Pack, as well as the general starting point for a whole group of young actors who would go on to define their generation in the 80's and early 90's, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid trilogy) Matt Dillon (Drugstore Cowboy, Rumblefish, Theres Something About Mary) C Thomas Howell (E.

T., The Hitcher). It's also the first time I ever experienced disappointment towards a movie adaptation of a book I liked, I have yet to see Coppola's self explanatory "The Whole Novel" cut, and will watch it soon but I think even if you haven't read the book this movies events must still feel condensed and slight.

That's the only real issue with this film, how compacted everything that happens is, the movie is made up of an episodic structure and these various chapters could all do with a good ten minutes on top, the whole thing could use an extra half hour to forty mins overall really, it would nicely iron out the movies wrinkles, give the story more room to breathe, it simply never has time to truly settle in, it robs the story of some of it's weight.

But it's still a really effective movie, the performances are great, especially from Swayze who displays lots of that stoic grace and cool that would make him an icon a few years later, and Coppola's direction is gorgeously atmospheric, and the cinematography has a sun-kissed, classic Hollywood look to it that is really beautiful.

As a bonus, Tom Cruises original teeth!!